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If we built it, they will come

The case for first-class transportation

By Stan Rosenberg and Chris Dempsey, Special to The Sun

Updated:
11/05/2017 10:31:38 AM EST

You're not imagining it.

The Federal Transit Administration recently reported that Massachusetts' commuter-rail system has the most breakdowns of any in the country, and by far. Last year, we had three times as many mechanical failures per mile as second-place New Jersey, and five times as many as third-place Long Island.

Problems at the MBTA aren't confined to commuter rail -- our light-rail system was fifth worst in that category.

Transportation is something most of us only notice when it's not working. Over the past several years, all across Massachusetts, we've noticed it a lot. Our entire statewide transportation network -- not just the MBTA -- is breaking down: substandard roads, deficient bridges, mind-numbing traffic, inadequate public transit, and the lack of a fast, reliable rail connection from entire regions of our state.

Earlier this year, the Massachusetts State Senate conducted research, and held meetings and town halls all across the commonwealth to better understand our statewide and regional challenges as part of the MassMoves initiative, supported by the Barr Foundation. The report, "MassMoves: A Vision for the Commonwealth's 21st-Century Transportation System," is a fact-based but passionate call to modernize our transportation network. Massachusetts should have a transportation system that is so reliable, convenient, affordable and energy-efficient that we won't even notice it -- other than as a source of pride and a foundation for a growing economy.

The economics are plain and stark: the regions that provide great transportation will succeed in the 21st century.

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If we don't build it, they won't come. Just ask Amazon. To build it, we need a fast track, statewide action plan for people from the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires to Greater Boston and the Cape and Islands, and all corners of Massachusetts. We can't afford to continue making improvements at a snail pace.

Make no mistake, we are paying for the substandard system we have today. We pay by being late to work and late to school. We pay with lost time with our families. We pay with congestion, detours, and car repairs, with unsafe bikeways and walkways, with lost opportunity and unhealthy commutes. Because transportation connects all of us -- to work, to school, to housing, to friends and to family -- a transportation system that fails, fails all of us.

The MassMoves initiative produced some key findings. Together, they show that the people of Massachusetts are ready for the changes required to make our transportation system work for everyone. Here are the top five findings:

1. People are not satisfied with the transportation system we have today, and want improvements to increase efficiency and address climate change;

2. Almost all the participants want better transportation to be a higher priority for elected leaders;

3. Across the state, people make the connection between efficient, affordable transportation and economic growth;

4. Across the state, people want improved public transit -- both in fixing what we have, and expanding the system to serve more people;

5. People want the option to invest in better transportation at a local or regional level, whether through user fees or taxes that pay for important projects.

To support this, the Senate is considering legislation to let voters weigh in on new transportation revenues, empowering municipalities to advance important local and regional projects. If we're serious about creating a better transportation system, this would be a great place to start.

None of this is groundbreaking. For decades, the public has clamored for better transportation. And in recent years, the state has made incremental progress with reform, revenue, and some results. The 2009 Transportation Reform Act put all statewide transportation agencies under one umbrella. The 2013 Transportation Finance Act provided about half of the revenue that experts thought was needed to maintain and upgrade our system.

But we are still not properly taking care of what we have, let alone building a statewide transportation network upon which to grow our economy. Meanwhile other states, including California, Colorado, and Washington, are investing in transportation and leapfrogging Massachusetts. Other countries are making even greater strides. When we tout our great workforce and leading-edge institutions and companies without putting forward the plan to connect these assets through world-class mobility, we are fooling no one.

The debates about transportation priorities and funding seem unending, but one issue must be settled once and for all. Let's make a commitment now to overhaul, modernize, and fund an affordable, efficient mobility system that gets everyone to work, to school, and back home again, traveling first class.

Stanley Rosenberg is president of the Massachusetts State Senate. Chris Dempsey is director of the advocacy coalition Transportation for Massachusetts.

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